Former leader of the JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe passed away at his residence in Rajagiriya at the age of 73.

He was one of the 14 Politburo Members of the JVP during the 1987-89 insurrection. Furthermore, he was the only politburo member to survive the insurrection.

Amarasinghe lived in exile before briefly returning in 2001. He returned several years later and has been residing in Sri Lanka till the time of his death.

In April 2015 Amarasinghe left the JVP and later formed his own Janatha Sevaka Party. He vehemently criticized the present leadership of the JVP and alleged that the party leadership is no longer following Marxism.